One day after the House Ethic Committee found she had violated House rules, and hours before her colleagues were expected to expell her, State Rep. Leezah Sun resigned.
“Our Democratic leadership team is grateful to the Ethics Committee for its diligent, intensive and transparent work on this report, and to the witnesses who came forward to share their stories under incredibly difficult circumstances,” House Democratic leadership said in a statement. “The facts are overwhelmingly clear and speak for themselves. Representative Sun engaged in a pattern of disorderly behavior that damaged the reputation of the House.”
Democrat leaders in the House filed the ethics complaint against Sun early last November regarding threats she is alleged to have made. Multiple people subsequently testified that Sun’s behavior made them believe that she would assault them during a discussion about the repeal of certain transportation infrastructure funding.
The Ethics Committee determined that Sun committed a pattern of disorderly behavior in violation of House rules.
Specifically, the Committee concluded:
Pursuant to its investigation and factual findings above, the Committee finds that the evidence sufficiently supports a conclusion that Representative Sun engaged in a pattern of inappropriate behavior in her official capacity and under the color of her office as a State Representative. The Committee finds that this pattern constitutes disorderly behavior in violation of Rule 1 of the Arizona House of Representatives.
The Committee notes that its findings are uniquely fact-intensive and require a subjective assessment of Representative Sun’s credibility. Accordingly, the Committee recommends that all members of the House fully examine this Report and the material cited herein. The Committee agrees, unanimously, that Representative Sun violated Rule 1. Based on this finding, and because Representative Sun’s violation of Rule 1 occurred in connection with her official capacity as a member of this House, the Committee deems it appropriate for the House as a whole to decide what disciplinary measures should be taken.